'Undisputed presence in Canada of known terrorists, extremists'
One of northern Montana's scenic vistas, through which authorities fear terrorists could penetrate U.S. border defenses
A new report from the Department of Homeland Security is warning that the U.S. is at risk from invasion through its northern border, a 4,000-mile stretch of mostly unattended territory in 12 states, with the confirmed presence of a number of terrorist and extremist groups in Canada.
"The primary threat along the northern border is the potential for extremists and their conveyances to enter the U.S. undetected," the report delivered to Congress this week says. "There is an undisputed presence in Canada of known terrorist affiliate and extremist groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas and the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria."
While both the United States and Canada long have boasted that the border between the two nations is the longest undefended international border in the world – there even is an International Peace Garden straddling the boundary on the edge of North Dakota, in the post-9/11 world, concerns over the movement of terrorists and their weaponry into the United States has increased exponentially. 
That, especially since it was revealed that even before 9/11, an Algerian-born operative for Osama bin Laden's network was caught crossing from Canada into Washington with a trunk loaded with bomb-making materials, allegedly for use in a plot to bomb Las Angeles International Airport.
The new report, delivered to Congress on the instructions of legislation supported by Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., calls the northern border porous and vulnerable to clandestine crossings.
The report, Tester told the Helena, Mont., Independent Record, "is just the first step, but it's good to see that the conversation on how to best shore up our northern border has started."
The report notes terrorists could blend into the Canadian population, because 90 percent of Canada's residents live within 100 miles for the border. But then on the U.S. side, much of the border is fronted by tens of thousands of square miles of sparsely populated forests in northern Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota.
"As such, the northern border's operating environment differs appreciably from the southwest border and requires a different law enforcement approach," the report said.
During 2007 more than 70 million people traveled across the border, and law enforcement agents arrested 4,000 people and intercepted 20 tons of contraband – mostly drugs.
The Department of Homeland Security had proposed that those crossing the border be required starting this year to present documents denoting citizenship and identity when entering the U.S. from Canada, but Congress then voted to delay that plan until 2009.
DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff said the "honor" system in place at the border for decades doesn't provide for the safety of American people. "Requiring secure and reliable documentation at our borders will drastically reduce security vulnerabilities posed by permitting entry based on oral declarations alone," he said.
Authorities noted from October to December 2007, authorities found 1,517 cases of individuals trying to enter the U.S. from Canada by falsely stating to be U.S. citizens. In another case, a suspect in a murder case was captured.
The Independent Record noted in its report that reconnaissance flights by the Montana National Guard and federal agents revealed numerous roads that crossed the international boundary with virtually no demarcation.
The newspaper said it located on Internet mapping services at least 58 roads or trails leading across the border with no checkpoints at all.
Tester told the newspaper he's seen such weaknesses personally. "This report will get the ball rolling to make the northern border as safe and secure as possible," he said.
Another issue is the staffing level for law enforcement agents. There are thousands of agents assigned to the southern U.S. border, but only a few hundred from Customs and Border Protection for the nation's northern edge, officials said.
"Vulnerabilities still exist along the northern border and must be addressed," the report said.
A second report on the situation, which is expected to detail measures that would improve security, is expected this summer.
Michigan Sen. Carl Levin, a Democrat, earlier expressed concern about the ability of first responders in border states to respond, communicate and coordinate "in the event of a terrorist attack."
And a spokesman for the Border Patrol admitted the stretch "is not as secure as it should be."
The Independent Record noted that sometimes law enforcement authorities actually get their information from ranchers and farmers. "Because of the vastness of the area, the farmers help us out a lot, serving as our eyes and ears," a spokesman told the newspaper.
Hill County, Mont., sheriff Greg Szudero told the newspaper he has major concerns. "Terrorists – their goal is to murder people. If they can murder one or 30 or 3,000, they're going to do it. If we get too relaxed and don't act professional, we could be in serious trouble."
"The mindset of the local citizenry and some law enforcement is that terrorism won't happen here," he told the paper. "I do have concerns, and those are the terrorism issues we have in our country. We know terrorism incidents do happen. It could happen in rural Montana."
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